A Hunter's Dream
by KitsuneFlame98
Summary: This story follows closely to the game Monster Hunter 4 Meet Ryu, a young girl who became a hunter without her mother knowing then ran away to pursue her lifelong dream of hunting. Ryu, along with palico partner Kruo, work with the hunters guild and a hunting caravan to uncover the meaning behind strange events being investigated by the guild.
1. Chapter 1

Monster Hunters, people who willingly gave up their lives to fight the terrors of nature. They cross great deserts by dragon ship and thick jungles by foot and sail the wide oceans that cover the world in order to protect people from dangerous animals. With the use of amazing weaponry and armor with the help of loyal palicos monster hunters are a new kind of warrior sent out to fight the army of nature. Seen by some as saviors and heroes and by others seen as low life scum who have a death wish or are just plain greedy. But when a monster shows its face in any town people of both views are happy to see a hunter take down threats. That is where this story begins, with a young girl who has a dream, a dream to hunt for others. But due to the nature of the beast has thus far been unable to, for her mother sees hunters as a blight among civilized people.

"Ryu!" A mother called from the door of the house to her daughter. "Come wash up, it's time for supper!"

"Coming mother!" Ryu called back as she took one last glance at the sight she had from their home on the hill. On the east side the cliff overlooked the nearby forest and in the distance the young girl could see the Great Desert; to the west she could see the piers and a vast ocean where merchant ships would unload. The piers were always so boring and uninviting to her, but Ryu did love going down to the east side of her town where the dragon ships docked and the hunters gathered to trade monster parts and tales of the hunt. "Ryu! Come wash up now!" her mother yelled impatiently from the door. Ryu turned away from the view she loved most and walked up to her home.

When she arrived food was set out on the table and Ryu's father and older brother had just gotten back from the shipyard. Her father was a boat builder who crafted fine ships for merchants and hunters, her brother was his helper as was Ryu's future job. She however had other plans, to become a monster hunter and travel far and wide and see the sights as she fights to protect people. Ryu sat down with her family as her oldest sibling, her sister Mabel, joined them. "So how is the ship coming along father?" Mabel asked as they started eating.

"Very well actually, those hunters came by today to check on the progress and are very pleased." he said after he took a drink. Ryu's mother, Korell, rolled her eyes at the mention of the hunters.

" _Hunting monsters is no way to make a living."_ Korell's words echoed in Ryu's head, her mother's hatred for hunters made the mother and daughter not see eye-to-eye and they would often fight about it saying how "ladies should not be hunters" or "hunting is an ignorant choice and a waste of talent."

Ryu's brother looked at her and narrowed his eyes, "Hey Ryu, what were you doing down at the pier?"

Korell stood up and glared at her youngest child "You were WHERE?"

"Maki you snitch!" Ryu yelled at her brother just as Korell grabbed her.

"You are not to be down there with those hunters! They will poison your mind!"

"Maybe it is you who is poisoning my mind!" she yelled back "Maybe I don't want to be stuck in some dusty shop doing something I hate for the rest of my life! No offence father."

"None taken" Ryu's father said casually. He is a very skilled ship builder and his main customers are hunters looking to get across the great desert."

"I want adventure, action, I want to be a monster hunt-" she was stopped when her mother slapped her.

"No child of mine will be a hunter!"

"Korell, sweetheart, calm down. Ryu is a free spirit, personally if she wants to hunt then more power to her!" her father laughed.

"You are never going to hunt!"

"I am 15 years old I can become a hunter without your permission if I want to!" Ryu yelled back.

The fight lasted for several minutes until Ryu ran out of the main room into the room she shared with Mabel. _I can't stay here the routines are going to kill me._ Ryu thought as she punched a wall. _Wake up, go get water from the well, do laundry, go to the market, every day is driving me insane!_ Her mind whirled with panic. She ran over to her bed and pulled up a floorboard that covered a small dip in the ground that she used to hide things in. _it is not my fault she is so hateful to the hunters._ Ryu took out a box and looked inside, it was filled with scales and a couple claws and teeth, Monster parts. Also inside the box are books about monsters. _Wyverns Vol.1_ and several other books containing info of all known monsters. If Korell ever found this she would probably kill Ryu instantly. Ryu got these treasures from the hunters down at the pier. Often she would get away and go down there and talk to the hunters, their stories of the hunt always got her into the right state of mind.

The next morning Ryu woke up and brushed her long pale blonde hair, some would call her hair white but in certain light it looks like a pale yellow. Ryu pulled some hair into a small braid on one side and tied it with a little pink bow that matched the color of her eyes. She walked over to the closet and changed into some black pants and a light gray shirt then grabbed her bag and moved to her place where she hid her monster books and treasures. Swiftly she packed her bag and set a note on her bed and walked out the door and down the dirt road not looking back, and with no regrets in her mind.

When she arrived at the pier she stopped to admire the dragon ships. They were the same size as a small merchant ship but were reinforced on the front of the ship by either large bones from a monster or by a metal frame, crafted in the volcano town Harth, and equipped with a dragonator. Another difference is the cannons and ballista's mounted on the sides and the large gong in the rear of the ship. The gong and weapons are a requirement from the guild of hunters to protect the hunters from Dah'ren Mohran, the massive elder dragons that are known to attack ships crossing the great desert heading to Vail Harbor.

Ryu walked on and weaved between people and avoided crews unloading the ships until she came to a small dragon ship near the end of the pier. The boat had a bone frame, mostly because they were cheap and easy to repair on the fly than the metal.

"Hey Ryu over here!" a large man called to her from a table with other hunters. Ryu walked over and sat down.

"Damen I want you to take me to Vail Harbor so I can register with the guild."

Damen was not surprised. "You are 15 so you can register without parental consent but your mother would not approve."

"You turning' her down D?" one of the hunters yelled as he slammed his mug on the table.

"I just don't want you getting into the hunt if you don't really want to."

"Damen I want to. I want to hunt, I want to live life on the hunt, and I want to be a monster hunter." Ryu said with more sincerity than she has ever known before.

"Let me guess, you left without anyone knowing and left a note didn't you?"

"My dad knows and he approves of my choice. He wants me to be a hunter."

Daymen stood up and turned to the other hunters. "Load up guys we are sailing to Vail Harbor!" The hunters cheered then jumped up and started loading cannon and ballista ammo as well as suiting up in the best armor and weapons they own. Damen took Ryu on board, "Okay Ryu, you can be up on deck but stay out of the way. If a Mohran shows up you are to get below deck and let us handle it, and be careful… you want to get to Vail Harbor in one piece!" he laughed.

The ship soon set sail and was moving at a slow pace at first. Ryu sat on the back of the ship on top of a box of ammo and watched as the town she called home moved away. After a while Ryu moved below deck to explore the ship. Under the main deck where crew rooms, but in reality it was beds in a slightly modified supplies hold. Towards the back of the ship which would be under the hunting gong was a small room with a dropdown wall, probably used to get crewmen who had fallen off during a Dah'ren Mohran attack. Ryu walked to the front of the boat where the captain's room was. Damen had told her there was an extra bed there for her because he didn't trust some of his men with young non-hunter women. Inside the room there was a huge dent in the ceiling where the dragonator was located. _Must make it awfully loud noise when activated,_ Ryu thought as she set her bag on her bed. She returned to the upper deck and sat beside the ballista ammo at the front of the ship between two stairs going up to a platform where the dragonator switch was. She opened a book on Elder Dragons and found the Dah'ren Mohran. These dragons are larger than most ships and cause untold ship damage as well as hunter and merchant deaths.

"Scared Dah'ren Mohran will show?" A crew member asked as he walked by.

"No I just want to know why they are so dangerous to ships." Ryu replied without looking up.

"In all my years of hunting I've found that Dah'ren is more bark than bite, they are somewhat common and fairly easy to take down with the right weapo-" He was interrupted by an earsplitting roar as the sand beside the ship gave way and a large rusty-brown spiny back rose from the sand as rocks shot up into the air and then came falling onto the ship.

"Dah'ren Mohran!" Daymen yelled from the gong. "All hands on deck! Watch your step guys I don't want any deaths today!"

All the crew and hunters aboard ran to their stations, some unboxed the cannon balls and ballista ammo, others started shooting the beast with the ballista or cannons. A hunter ran over to Ryu who was still sitting by the stairs in a horrified daze. The female hunter picked Ryu up and ran across the ship and sat her in the stairway to go below deck.

"Stay." she instructed as she ran back to help. She drew out her weapon of choice, an Insect Glaive more specifically a Lightbreak Press, and charged the Dah'ren Mohran's arm and started slicing it with swift powerful blows. Soon she was joined by another female hunter, this one with Dual Blades, and two male hunters, one with a Switch Axe and the other with a Great Sword. The dual blade hunter ran over and hit the gong switch causing the gong to ring loudly, the Dah'ren Mohran screeched and rammed into the ship. The whole ship tipped and Ryu fell down into the crew rooms where she stayed.

"Ready the Dragonator!" she heard Damen call as this loud echoing sound filled the air followed by the cry of the Morhan and the shaking of the ship. When Ryu peered out she could see the Dah'ren Mohran clearly despite the sand cloud the dragon had whipped up from moving. Bigger than the biggest ship she had ever seen, in height and length, its menacing horn now broken from cannon fire.

"Sir we need to steer this Mohran due east! We are too close to Vail Harbor!" the dual blade hunter yelled over the commotion. Ryu stood up, in the distance she could see trees and what looked like to be a town not much bigger than her hometown was, surrounded on three sides by trees. Damen cursed to himself and pulled out a small metal gun of some type and shot a round in the air. It busted into a red smoke and a loud ring filled the air. Within moments she could see other dragon ships headed their way. One in particular caught her eye, it was far larger than the normal hunter ships. Made from a dark black wood with a golden metal armor frame and dragonator.

"Great the Aces are here to steal our thunder!" The dual blade hunter growled as she drew out her blades and dashed to attack the monster's arm again.

The ships grew closer and turned around to match the Dah'ren Mohran's speed. As if on the same page they all fired a ballista rounds that hooked the Dah'ren Mohran and held it in place with a strong cable and proceeded to fire cannon rounds. The elder dragon roared then the ships suddenly turned, uprooting the monster and making it fall sideways and screech. The dust cleared and before her very eyes Ryu saw Veil Harbor. Dah'ren Mohran had lost this battle and turned away from the desert side town and fled.

Damen looked at Ryu "Welcome to Veil Harbor!" he laughed

"What do you mean she is gone?" Korell yelled as Mabel entered the dining room for breakfast.

"She left last night. I found this on her desk." Mabel handed her mother a piece of paper with Ryu's letter on it:

Dear mother,

I have left to become a Hunter, I don't care what you say about them. This is a choice i have made on my own and I'm going through with it. By morning I'll be in Veil Harbor living my dream. There is nothing you did wrong, I just can't stand the routine anymore. If I would have said this to you, you would want me to change the routine but the thing is I don't want one. I want to live free and see the world beyond the walls of your judgmental parenting. I am a monster hunter, that's who I am. Hopefully someday you will see that and be proud but until then I will be hunting.

~Ryu

Ryu's dad smiled "Way to go Ryu". Korell glared at him and walked out of the house headed down to the pier to look for Ryu despite the fact that her daughter would not be there.

Ryu stepped off the dragon ship with happiness on her face, her dream of being a hunter was only a short time away. _Hunter by day, Hunter by night, hunting monsters until my final fight where i raise my blade to the sun's light before my last breath. May every hunt be prosperous hunters of young and old._ Ryu said to herself as she walked down the rock-brick road of Veil Harbor. Ryu walked up to a large building that honestly looked like a large ship of some type that had crashed here or was abandoned and a town grew around it. This building was called "The Gathering Hall" it's where Hunters go when they want to team up with others and hunt as a team without being in the same Caravan. It's also where new caravans go to recruit hunters and where one would register to become a hunter.

Inside the gathering hall was nothing like Ryu would have thought. Hunters in groups of four sat at the table drinking or eating while others posted quests at the quest board beside the counter, others where prancing and having fun in the middle of the room.

Ryu walked up to a quest counter. "Um is this where I sign up to be a hunter?"

"Yes it is, I'll need your name, your hometown, and the names of your mother and or father." the lady behind the counter said as she placed her book in her lap and got a hunter registration form.

"But I'm 15, why do you need my parents?" Ryu asked

"It's just something we like to have on file. Not that it happens a lot but we do need to know where to send the hunters when they can no longer hunt due to extreme injury or death." she replied.

"Oh… Well I'm Ryu Hamara, spelt R-Y-U and I'm from Port Kade and my father is a ship builder named Coda. My mother is Korell." Ryu said as she glanced at a group of hunters leaving for a quest.

"Okay, Ryu. Your guild card will be ready tomorrow afternoon, come back then to officially become a hunter and get your hunting knife. Until then you are not allowed to buy armor, weapons or go on quests do you understand?"

"Yes Ma'am." Ryu bowed in respect then received a small card that said _Probationary Hunter_

"Go find you a caravan, or a group of hunters who will show you the ropes." the lady smiled.

Ryu left the gathering hall and went back to the dragon ship docks to meet up with Damen. The hunter congratulated her on becoming a hunter then gave her a pat on the head.

"Come back here tomorrow and I'll have something for you." he smiled.

She nodded then went back into town to find some hunters willing to take her under their wing. A few hunters roamed around on the main road where the blacksmith and quest post where located, though none looked like a good mentor for the new monster hunter. Then something caught her eye, it was a small dark shape that ran past her leg… _A cat?_ The cat ran down the road and then was attacked by another cat as it passed the blacksmith. Ryu ran up to the two fighting felines and tried to break up the fight but she just couldn't get the attacking cat away.

"Jet, that's enough." a voice made the cat jump off the dark gray tabby, it was a hunter. High ranked by the looks of him, dressed in what looked to be Azure Rathalos armor with a long sword. He laughed, "Relax girl that palico is just about useless anyway". The hunter turned and walked away towards the gathering hall, _stupid jerk, you wouldn't know a good partner if it hit you._ She thought angrily as she picked up the injured palico and walked down the road to sit him down on a rock.

"Hey are you ok?" she asked as she pulled out some bandages. He didn't answer at first then mewed softly with a raspy voice.

"I'm fine, thanks"

"My name is Ryu, what's yours?" Ryu talked as she started to wrap his little arm.

"'Names Kruo…" He meowed.

"I just came here to become a hunter, but it looks like not all hunters are the best people in the world." Ryu giggled.

"Yak I guess… You say you're a hunter?" Kuro's ears perked.

"Yes, well I don't have my official guild card yet but yes." she smiled as she finished bandaging up the palico's arm.

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble, could you pawsibly take me as your Palico?" Kuro asked as he hopped up. Ryu didn't know what to say, it was true that a hunter most always was accompanied by a couple palicos. To be honest there wasn't much to say to the cat other than "Yes." The word seemed to light a fire in him, instantly happy and smiling. This day Ryu may not have found the mentor of her dreams but she did find a lifetime friend and partner.


	2. Chapter 2

Back in Port Kade, Coda worked carefully as he sanded a piece of wood for a ship he was working on. He sat up and readjusted his cap that covered his scraggly dark hair. A letter had been placed on his desk with an official seal from the hunter's guild that he did not open just yet, but now he deiced to check it out. Coda ripped open the envelope and looked at the letter held within:

Dear parent of Ryu Hamara,

This letter has been sent to you to notify you that your daughter is now a registered monster hunter in Veil Harbor. She has made the Nobile decision to risk her life in the hunt in hope to keep those who are innocent out of harm's way and to show our deep gratitude the guild will assist her in any way we can and mail you, the legal guardian, and a progress report when she raises hunter ranks.

Congratulations, you must be very proud. Though I did not talk to her directly I can clearly see she has a passion for hunters, which is why I have written this letter myself. To have such a skilled craftsman's child as a hunter is such an honor.

Sincerely

The Guild Master of Veil Harbor.

Coda placed the letter beside a picture of his youngest child, Ryu, "I am very proud of you Ryu… Knock 'em dead."

"What do you mean by I can't go on this quest!" Ryu yelled at a hunter who stood between her and the quest board

"Because you're just a kid, and you will get hurt. Trust me girl I'm a higher rank!" he said as he pulled out his guild card "see I am in HR3, meaning i can handle a Great Jaggi. Go home girl. Or find a caravan!" he laughed as he took the quest from the board and set out for it.

"Pompous dick." Ryu mumbled as she left the gathering hall. "Could you believe that guy Kruo?"

"Could you calm down? That hunter just has an ego bigger than his hunter rank. Meow." the dark tabby palico replied. "So what are we going to do? Find a caravan? Or try to take on a monster solo?"

"I don't know… Finding a caravan who will take a new hunter is difficult, but we need the money from a quest so we can find a place to live, and get me some new gear because this Daring armor and Bone Blades won't last that long I'm sure." Ryu said as she kicked a rock. "You know what Kruo, screw that guy I'll get a jaggi quest!"

When Ryu returned to the hall she went straight to the quest board and took a quest called "Field Trip" and handed it to the quest counter lady.

"Ah a Great Jaggi" she said as she stamped the card "Good luck hunter". Ryu looked down at Kruo who nodded "You go take out that meownster and I'll see if i can find us a place to call home."

Ryu nodded and the black tabby palico dashed off.

Ancestral Steppe, an area known for its wide open pains that outskirt a steep rocky mountain that is home to many monsters. When a quest is posted a team of guild hunters sweep the landscape either on foot or via dragon watch balloon to ensure the safety of the hunter and relay warning signals if a monster has entered the area. But this safety net is not always reliable, and after a hunter gets into high rank only a few quests have this net. Knowing that Ryu can relax a little bit as she makes her way to basecamp.

"Whoa, this place is more beautiful than described in my books!" Ryu awed as she entered the camp and stopped to take in her surroundings. Base Camp was nestled inside of an outcropping in a crimson red rocky ruins of some ancient structure, or at least that's what Ryu guessed judging by the way a rock pillar curved and leaned against the opposite wall of the camp. But the thing that caught her eye the most about the camp was that a broken stone arch framed the open grassy land beyond and in contrast to the earthy colors, the bright blue sky was breathtaking.

"Look alive hunter!" a male hunter laughed as he walked past and patted her head then stopped to make sure his longsword was fully sharpened.

"Name's Rainer, I'll be hunting with you today, also this is my brother Nix." Rainer pointed over to a teenage boy sitting by a sketchy wood plank makeshift bridge to a fishing spot. Rainer was obviously not in low rank, Ryu knew what monsters were available for low rank quests and none of them had such a deep red color as his armor had. The armor was made from a hide that was naturally a crimson red.

"N-nice to meet you Rainer. I'm Ryu…" she said shyly as she snapped out of her thoughts. "Rainer what monster does your armor come from?"

"Red Khezu, ya see I'm in high rank and I'm helping my little bro out" he laughed

"And I can tell by the look on your face that you're a new hunter. How old are you anyway, 10?" Nix said snarkily as they walked over to him. He stood up, Ryu only came up to his shoulders as far as height goes. Judging by the deep green scales on his chest piece and the wing webbings that made up his hat and hung from his belt Ryu guessed that his armor it was likely made from the parts of the flying wyvern Rathian and the armor was that of a Gunner-class. Ryu's assumption was confirmed when she saw a light bowgun strapped to his back.

"No! For your information I am 13!" Ryu replied sharply as she adjusted one of the hip belts on her set of Derring armor, it was a part of the new hunter kit the guild gave her, in addition to the dual blades she had strapped to her back.

After they confirmed it was only the 3 of them on this quest they set out with Rainer leading, mostly because he was the only one who could make sense of the map.

"Ok let's split up so we can find the Jaggi faster. When you see it remember to signal us so we can come assist." Rainer said as the party of hunters entered area 3 from area 1. The area was covered in golden-ish grass that was being grazed upon by large herbivores, there were 2 paths to go on from here, one leading to area 2 whose terrain was rocky with a dense vine canopy so thick even a rathian could stand on it, or the path to area 8 where the grassy plains gave way to the start of a rocky mountain.

 _Let's see… jaggi are pack hunters who hunt well in rocky or uneven ground due to their small bodies, however a Great jaggi is the dominant male of the pack so no doubt it is likely to be in areas 8,6, or 4… that being said, I am still a new hunter so this might not be right_. Ryu thought as she looked at the map in her hands.

"I'll take this path from 8 to 6 then 5." Nix growled as he walked off.  
"Nix remember to signal this time!" Rainer called after him then sighed "he can be so stubborn… So Ryu it looks like we are headed to areas 2, 4 and 9."

"Yea!" she said happily as Rainer took the lead, but still something bothered her. _Why would a gunner go alone? If Nix gets ambushed by the Great Jaggi he won't stand a chance._ In the distance there was a strange howling bark that sounded like a jaggi but deeper.


End file.
